The first gay marriage in the United Methodist Church was affirmed by the Reconciling Ministries Clergy (RMC) at a meeting in Chicago this month. The national network of United Methodist clergy supporting inclusion of gay and lesbian members, approved of the wedding Rev. Doctor Karen Oliveto performed at her church in San Francisco. Oliveto could face a church trial because those not supporting such marriages have filed an official complaint. The RMC authorized special funds to defend such ministers.
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago applauds Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for including a $3.1 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and a $1 million increase for HIV/AIDS prevention programs targeting minority communities in his fiscal year 2005 budget proposal.
In a precedent-setting first, the Lambda Literary Awards has removed a finalist from contention after the judges in the category asked for the book's removal. The controversial The Man Who Would Be Queen, by Northwestern University Professor Michael Bailey, was removed from the finalist list in the 16th Annual Lambda Literary Awards competition because the judges of the transgender category said the book was inappropriate. Finalist Committee member Victoria Brownworth disagreed with the decision. 'While I … personally disagree with many aspects of Bailey's book, if we take the book off the list we are indeed censoring it. It doesn't matter what our reasons are,' she said. Bailey is being investigated for his research practices in writing the book.
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is expected to ask the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) to suspend its ruling to impose marriage equality on May 17, 2004, reports the Boston Globe. Romney plans to ask the SJC to issue a ruling that could force gay couples in the state to wait until 2006 when citizens are expected to have the ability to vote on a state constitutional amendment that would ban gays from marriage. Delaware's legislature proposed a similar amendment.
The grassroots Web site DontAmend.com is asking those who care about gay civil rights to picket their local post office on tax day. The site claims gays should be outraged for 'taxation with discrimination.' The group organized a nationwide day of protest on Feb. 14 as well.
The Supreme Court of Connecticut refused to hear an appeal from the Boy Scouts of America, reports The Olympian. The Boy Scouts sued the state for barring the Boy Scouts from soliciting for contributions from state employees. The state removed the group from the list of authorized charities when the Scouts refused to accept gay students.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg came out in favor of gay civil unions, but came short of endorsing gay marriages, reports AP.
San Jose, Calif., Mayor Ron Gonzales is the next mayor to recognize gay marriages performed in other cities, reports the Chicago Tribune. The San Jose City Council voted 8-1 to recognize the marriages of gay couples performed in other cities for the purposes of employee benefits. Seattle made a similar move earlier in the month.
New Hampshire may be the next state to create a Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), reports AP. The state's senate passed a bill by a vote of 16-7. The bill would ban recognition of gay marriages performed in other states. The governor supports the bill which now goes to the state house.
Three pieces of art were stolen from the Salt Lake Community College last week, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. The three silver gelatin prints had sparked some controversy because they depict men dressed as Mormon missionaries in compromising homosexual positions. The thieves could be charged with a felony depending on the estimated value of the prints.
Hilary Rosen, the partner of the Human Rights Campaign's most recent executive director, Elizabeth Birch, has been hired by HRC as campaign strategist for their Marriage Campaign. Rosen brings more than 25 years of experience as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. She is the former Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (which has sued individuals for illegally downloading music) a partner in the lobbying firm Liz Robbins Associates; and served on the transition teams of Senators Dianne Feinstein and Bill Bradley.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) reminded lesbian and gay military personnel that, despite the issuance of marriage licenses in San Francisco and other localities, members of the armed forces still face discharge and other punishments if they attempt to marry or enter into a civil union.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the first annual National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) required by the Healthcare Research and Quality Act of 1999, and the report has drawn criticism from numerous directions. Many of the recommendations of the researchers on this project were reworded, diminishing the true scope and impact of what underserved communities continue to face. The report is noticeably silent on healthcare disparities affecting the transgender, gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities. In fact, all references to the GLBT community have been omitted, prompting the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) to call it 'erasure' from government programs.
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute, the nation's leading organization that recruits, trains and supports openly gay and lesbian candidates for office, announced Chrissy Gephardt and four other new directors to the Victory Fund board. Decatur City Commissioner Kecia Cunningham was endorsed for the Georgia State House, and if elected will be the first openly lesbian African-American state lawmaker.
News Tips? RaphaelNews@aol.com
